Question

A fricative produced in the area of the mid-palate, such as /esh/, would likely have its first prominent spectral peaks at about

a) 1200 Hz
b) 2000 Hz
c) 4000 Hz
d) 10000 Hz
e) there would be no clear spectral peak

Answer 1

A fricative sound produced in the area of the mid-palate, such as /esh/, would have its first prominent spectral peak around 2000 Hz, which falls within the conversational speech range.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question is referring to the spectral peaks of speech sounds, which is a concept in the field of physics, specifically acoustics and speech science. When dealing with a fricative sound such as /esh/, which is produced in the area of the mid-palate, the sound energy is concentrated at certain frequencies, known as spectral peaks.

Based on the information provided and a general understanding of speech acoustics, particularly the frequency range of human speech, the first prominent spectral peak for a mid-palatal fricative is likely to be around 2000 Hz. This is within the normal conversational speech range and below the level where we start to utilize our full range of hearing. It is also well below the 8000 Hz frequency which is mentioned as being less important for the comprehension of conversation and music.